{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T15:34:57Z","timestamp":1791819297514,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,19]],"date-time":"2022-01-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1642550400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Though sex education (SE) may benefit the sexual development and overall well-being of children with intellectual disabilities (IDs), obstacles to its implementation remain. This study highlights barriers and concerns of SE for children with IDs based on their mothers\u2019 experiences. We employed a phenomenological approach and in-depth interviews with twenty Malay mothers of children with mild-to-moderate IDs or\/and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Four primary hurdles to SE were discovered: (1) mother (2) children (3) family value, and (4) socio-cultural environment. Inadequate knowledge, mothers\u2019 perceptions that SE is less necessary at this stage of their children\u2019s development, and time constraints were among their main barriers. Another source of hardship was the communication barrier because children with ID have cognitive impairment in their capacity to understand the topic being addressed and more time should be spent throughout the discussion. Family value and socio-cultural elements also had an impact on mothers\u2019 intention to deliver SE to their children. Our findings suggest that mothers recognize the importance of SE for their children\u2019s well-being. However, the dynamic interaction between the barriers complicates SE. This study emphasizes the necessity for future interventions to overcome hurdles at each level to effectively implement the recommended strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19031070","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,19]],"date-time":"2022-01-19T08:20:57Z","timestamp":1642580457000},"page":"1070","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":36,"title":["Barriers and Concerns in Providing Sex Education among Children with Intellectual Disabilities: Experiences from Malay Mothers"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Nawal Nabilah","family":"Kamaludin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosediani","family":"Muhamad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zainab","family":"Mat Yudin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7093-8278","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rosnani","family":"Zakaria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"3","article-title":"Barriers to sexuality for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A literature review","volume":"50","author":"Sinclair","year":"2015","journal-title":"Educ. 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